Hexadecyl hexadecanoate, also known as cetyl palmitate, is the
ester
In chemistry, an ester is a compound derived from an acid (either organic or inorganic) in which the hydrogen atom (H) of at least one acidic hydroxyl group () of that acid is replaced by an organyl group (R). These compounds contain a distin ...
derived from
hexadecanoic acid and
1-hexadecanol. This white waxy solid is the primary constituent of
spermaceti, the once highly prized wax found in the skull of
sperm whale
The sperm whale or cachalot (''Physeter macrocephalus'') is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. It is the only living member of the Genus (biology), genus ''Physeter'' and one of three extant species in the s ...
s.
[Wilhelm Riemenschneider and Hermann M. Bolt "Esters, Organic" Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, 2005, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim. ] Cetyl palmitate is a component of some
solid lipid nanoparticles.
Stony corals, which build the
coral reef
A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in group ...
s, contain large amounts of cetyl palmitate wax in their tissues, which may function in part as an
antifeedant.
Applications
Cetyl palmitate is used in cosmetics as a
thickener and
emulsifier
An emulsion is a mixture of two or more liquids that are normally immiscible (unmixable or unblendable) owing to liquid-liquid phase separation. Emulsions are part of a more general class of two-phase systems of matter called colloids. Althou ...
.
References
Fatty acid esters
Palmitate esters
Waxes
{{Ester-stub